First, Barry Wiley chronicles the
remarkable Nellie Bly, considered the first female journalist, and her
shrewd exposure of fraudulent supernatural performers in early 20th
Century America.

Next we hear from the prolific Joshua Jay, who
gives us a morbidly fascinating catalog of magicians who have met with
tragic ends in the pursuit of their art. Chung Ling Soo's death is
well-chronicled, but these magicians' stories are equally (and just as
eerily) compelling.

Finally, Conjuring Arts has uncovered a 17th
Century Italian manuscript whose contents both shed light on and call
into question the timeline of many well-known conjuring tricks. Lori
Pieper once again provides the English translation, and Stephen Minch
and William Kalush give context and commentary.